Riptide
by Tapho
Summary: Emilia's inner vulnerability gets the best of her when she starts to fall for her partner in crime. Or something like that. I'm terrible at summarizing, GEEZ.
1. Fangirls

**Riptide**

A short little DC drabble thing, to see how well I can write in this verse. (: First-timer, & avid shipping for Em & B. 3 Okay, so...read! & enjoy. & review, because I like know what you guys think.~

Legal jazz—all characters copyright of Harmonix & others.~ I simply take the most amazing crew & make them awkwardly not platonic anymore. o.o

* * *

Her mouth twist into a frown, arms folded tightly while icy green eyes stare at the ridiculousness before her. In the background Emilia stood, becoming increasingly annoyed by the second. Yes, their crew was popular. And yes, her partner was just as popular as she—even if his fanbase were more beach babes than anyone else.

Emi's fingers rap against her forearm as she grew even more impatient. Bodie was conversing with his fans after they completed a routine during practice—a practice session these females rudely interrupted. Emilia noticed the crowd grow as they tried to put new moves together with new songs, despite her biggest effort to find the most secluded area of the beach she could.

Bodie just _had _to practice outside today.

She didn't know what annoyed her more—the airheads that interrupted them, or the nonchalant but friendly attitude Bodie was currently displaying despite being kept from a vital dancing session.

Deciding that she'd had enough of watching females grovel Emilia picked up her bag, stuffing her towel & iPhone inside before throwing it over her shoulder; toned legs lead her up to the boardwalk ready to ditch the beach completely.

"Em." A familiar strong hand grasp onto her arm, though the hold was gentle it demanded her attention.

"B," Emilia responded coolly, not pausing her stride nor looking at him. His hand still held onto her, as he walked right next to his dancing partner. She was surprised that he'd caught up with her so quickly, but she still felt the need to be upset with him.

"Why'd you leave?"

"I didn't want to interrupt the party." Emi tend to speak in short & in low tone when she was mad, as she finally look over at him. She cursed herself mentally for doing so, because the oaf had the biggest nerve to have a smile on his face. His smile had the ability to be both refreshing & bothersome at the same time—at least during this particular moment.

"Come on, Em—we have to finish up. Don't leave."

Emilia noticed that he picked up his bag, too; he was leaving with her. A swell of pride over winning his attention over the beach Barbies pooled up within her, though you couldn't tell by the deadpan expression on Emi's face. "If we're going to finish, & do it without an audience, we'll need to do it at home. Like I suggested before we left," she added, finally stopping in order to face him. She shook her arm from his hold, opting to fold them to show an air of seriousness. "B, we'll never get any better if your fangirls are in the way. I want to win, it's so important to me."

Bodie's dark brows raise, his smile slowly disappearing—facial expression showing a bit of remorse for disappointing his best friend. "I know," he finally replied, rubbing his arm. "Let's go finish up at home."

"Like I suggested before," Emilia repeated, shaking her head before walking again, partner in tow. "We'll pick it up later. Right now I'm pretty starved."

"Let's go pick up some ice cream," Bodie suggested, friendly smile back on his face. "I'll get the tub with the three flavors. Huh?"

Emilia bit back a smile, shoving him in the side. "Whatever," she said, internally appreciating that at least he knew the right way to butter her up again.

* * *

The Riptide crew sat upon Emi's living room sofa, large tub of Neapolitan ice cream between them, each equipped with a spoon as they dig in while aimlessly watching some movie on cable.

"Let's watch something else," Emilia murmured. "The action is so fake."

"You're gonna miss the good part," Bodie insisted, handing her the remote anyway.

"Mm." She replied halfheartedly, surfing through channels.

"Fangirls?"

"...what?"

"Fangirls. That's what you called 'em." Bodie glanced over at Emi, lips turned up in amusement.

"I said that hours ago," Emilia exaggerated, waving the remote carelessly. "Besides, that's what they are."

"Nahh."

"That's totally what they are!" She finished off the ice cream on her spoon before continuing. "They practically stalk you on the beach. & they're so obvious about it."

"...nahh," Bodie disagreed.

"B!" Emilia look at him incredulously. "You really don't see it? Here—I'll reenact a typical day training at the beach for you." The brunette toss her spoon on the coffee table. "Boooooooodie!~" she exclaimed with an air of ditziness, clasping her hands together. "Can you teach me that dance? I lovvvve dancing. Do you see my new two-piece?" Emilia push her chest up. "It's got polka dots!"

Bodie burst into laughter. "You're horrible, you know that?"

"They're so desperate," she giggled, leaning back & crossing her legs. "It's impossible to get anything done."

"Like you don't have guys hanging around!" he countered with a chuckle.

"Uh yeah, but I have the uncanny ability to ignore them," she insisted, flicking his cheek.

"You are pretty cold out there," he said, swatting her hand away.

"For the sake of getting things done!"

"Well it won't happen again. I know how much this competition means to you—to both of us. So...from here on out, nothing but seriousness."

"Seriousness," Emilia declared, finally smiling brightly. The pair bumped fists, concentrating on the television set again with a comfortable silence—Bodie taking over the tub of ice cream.

* * *

Somehow, time flew by, & nighttime shaded the sky. Emi dozed off on her sofa; Bodie tucked the uneaten ice cream in her freezer, gathering his stuff up to finally head home. He left the light on in the kitchen for guidance, turning off the lamps in the living room. He got as far as opening the front door when a soft voice stop him.

"B." Emilia had woken up, slightly embarrassed by falling asleep while she had company—though her company was the person she felt most comfortable doing anything with.

"Go to sleep, Em," Bodie said. "I'll text you in the morning."

"I'm not sleepy," she responded with an annoyed wave of her hand, standing up for a good stretch. She walked over to him, embracing him warmly. "Sorry about earlier."

"What are you sorry for?" he asked curiously, hugging her tightly.

"Being mad at you."

"I thought we were over that."

"We are, B—I'm extending an official apology. Take it or leave it."

"I'm takin' it," he grinned, his nose in her messy brown locks. Bodie could smell the beach on her—it was a natural perfume . Emi wasn't one to be girly, but she did show her feminine side every once in awhile. This moment was a prime example.

"Tomorrow morning, 6am," she ordered, face still buried in his shirt. Why couldn't she pull away?

"6?!"

"I might have made it 8am—had we finished today's practice," Emilia replied, looking up with a devious smile.

"Okay, okay." Bodie's smile beamed down at her, & at this moment, everything was okay.

She still had her Bodie.

_Her_ Bodie.

He was still the same, happy, outgoing Bodie.

The longer she could keep him from acquiring a girlfriend, the better.

Emilia bit her lip at such a selfish thought, but her rational side encouraged it. If he ever did fall for another girl, she'd no longer be the center of his universe.

Well maybe that was a little much, but...

"What?" he asked, noticing that she'd gone completely into her own thoughts.

"What?" Emilia repeated, not knowing what he said before.

"I don't know, you kinda dazed out on me," Bodie joked.

"Go home," she said, planting a hand on the center of his chest & giving him a little nudge, though her arm was still wrapped around him.

"I'm goin'!" Bodie grinned, letting her go & taking a backward step out of the door. "Good night, Em."

"Night, B," she replied, giving him a little wave while leaning against the open door. Neither of them moved, waiting on the other to go.

"Come on, go inside & shut the door," Bodie said.

"Why? I'm waiting on you to leave," Emilia pointed out, a hand now on her hip. "Go."

It was difficult to argue with Emilia most of the time, but this time proved even more hard as Bodie didn't really want to walk away. Emilia shutting the door would be the best way to leave without doing something that he was very well contemplating—but knew that it would be a bad idea.

Yet, it seemed like the right time.

Emilia gave him a little look, eyebrows raised & shoulders held up—silently asking him, "Why are you still here?"

His blue eyes scanned her face intently, trying to search for hints. Clues. He was really good at reading her expressions, but half of the time Emi was unpredictable anyway.

So he took the chance.

Instead of walking away, he stepped closer to her. Emilia's heart nearly lept from her chest. She knew exactly what was going to happen, & she seemed powerless to stop it.

She wanted it to happen.

Bodie stopped about an inch away from her, his tall frame overpowering hers. Emi stood as tall as she could in the doorway, trying to emit courage. Her eyes didn't leave his, & didn't blink. She dared him to do it.

He cupped her chin; she still didn't say a word. She didn't pull away. She didn't throw expletives at him.

& he went for it. Bodie's lips lands on top of hers, barely touching. It wasn't a very meaningful kiss. It felt more like an experiment, lips pressed to each other's for merely seconds. Her fingertips grasp onto his sides, & she swore she her heart was racing so much that he could hear it.

Bodie leaned back, silly smile on his face.

Emilia frowned, letting him go. "I think you should go." She didn't wait for his response—she only gave him a little shove back before shutting the door in his face.

* * *

:D ohay. So...that was it! Though, I don't think this can be considered a drabble anymore, as I went a little longer than I anticipated. & part of me REALLY wants to continue, though I said I'd stop it there. Ahhh. Decisions. Well I'll ask you—Riptide fans, should I leave it here, or post another chapter?!

You know you want to know what happens next. ;D Just say the word & an update shall appear! Thank you for reading. 3

Also, tons of apologies—I could not come up with a good title for this thing. Ugh. Riptide will suffice.


	2. Sorry About Earlier

**Riptide  
**

**a|n; **|hyperventilates| c: I'm so excited that so far, you guys like it! I was a little worried, & contemplated re-writing the first chapter (& I may still do that, so it has a better flow since I'm making it a little longer than expected) but...yay! Thanks for taking the time to review, & here's Chapter 2 !

oh! Some other notes to consider before continuing. Since I've decided to make this an ongoing fic, I'd like to do in this story in Emilia's point of view. Which I know is probably majorly disappointing if you're here for Bodie-ness, but...I can relate to her more. C: We're kind of one in the same. But still! Enough of Bodie to not deter you. :D

Alright, that's all seriously this time. On with the show!

* * *

Emilia tried to willfully cool her breathing, upset that she reacted in such an obvious way. Her palms rest upon her door, & she tried to listen for his footsteps. He stood there—probably dumbfounded—for moments before she could hear him start to walk away. Sure that he was well out of the building, Emilia released a loud sigh, her back now against the door. She slid down until she sat upon her floor, legs crossed & arms folded. This was no way to live, sitting in the near-dark, but she couldn't bring herself to occupy light. She was entirely sure that if she caught one glance of her flushed cheeks in a mirror she would scream.

This was bad. Totally, wholly, absolutely bad.

Her fingertips touched her lips, still feeling _something _after that exchange.

_Really, really bad_.

"Damn it, Bodie," she managed to mutter aloud, finally willing herself from the floor. She took to the kitchen, feeling confident enough to embrace light, though avoiding reflective surfaces in the mean time.

She went directly for the freezer, her sole purpose to collect the ice cream to further indulge in while she did the same with her thoughts. Lugging the tub to a bar counter, she sat upon a stool, & like a jilted ex began eating from the container the two had shared just hours before.

Emi admitted to herself silently that she did, at least in a little bit of a way, enjoy it. But the cons seriously outweighed any pros.

For one, their friendship was instantly jeopardized. No longer would they be "bros," but now some kind of partnership that was unclassified. Friends, but a level higher. There wasn't quite a name for it. Not high enough on the scale to be known as a couple, yet not low enough to just be ordinary buddies.

She frowned at this thought, realizing even further that tomorrow morning would probably be the most awkward moment of her life.

Emilia checked her phone, a habit that she had around this time anyway. Not a word from him, at least not yet. She didn't really expect to get a text from Bodie. After all, she did just slam a door in his face

_But what else was I supposed to do? s_he asked herself with a mental shrug.

The kiss was pitiful. The young woman was more embarrassed on her end. She was sure she hadn't kissed any boy since high school, & she didn't know what to do. Bodie hadn't forced her into it—rather, he drew her in. He had that stupid smile on his face. She hoped he didn't notice that she needed to grasp onto him simply to keep upright. Her lips were tight while his were pursed slightly, pressing against her own softly.

She yawned a bit, closing the container of ice cream & returning it to her freezer.

In reality, it all didn't matter. Tomorrow she'd be the same old Emi, working out just as hard as she would any other day. In her mind, the kiss didn't exist—if she willed it, it didn't happen.

It didn't happen.

Emilia flipped the light switch, as if doing so coincide with her feelings about her competitive dancing partner. They had dances to learn, contests to win, & nothing would get in the way of that.

* * *

The very next morning, Emilia met her partner at the gym they always chose to workout in. It was a small place, with little to no frills, just the way she liked it. At this moment she wished they chose a bigger gym, so she could escape on a machine in some far off corner—never to be seen by the blonde guy that her gut clenched about whenever she thought of him.

She'd left the house overly dressed. Instead of her usual tank top & shorts, Emilia donned incredibly baggy sweatpants & a hoodie. Bodie cocked an eyebrow at Emi the moment he spotted her walk in.

"Morning, B," she practically mumbled, a little nod of acknowledgment.

"Good morning," he replied, eyes still stuck on her unusual attire. "Uh..." Before he could question it, she'd already hopped on a treadmill, starting up the machine & sticking earbuds in her ears to drown out whatever conversation he intended to create.

She never looked up from her iPhone until she was sure that he was off to the side, stretching on a mat—doing his usual drills involving a bit of resistance training before he got into his cardio. Her body, tensed from pure nervousness, relaxed just a bit as she began to put her all into her mechanical run, sweat beading her forehead more quickly than usually—probably attributed to her heavy apparel.

Emilia wanted this session to be uneventful, with no sort of distraction. That was mainly her purpose for throwing on extra clothing. The less skin Bodie had to glance at, the better. Not that she assumed that he would be ogling her this morning—in fact, Bodie was always a gentleman, & never gave Emi any reason to feel self-conscious in any way.

She just needed to be...sure.

Glancing to the side, green eyes focus on Bodie while he performed drills with a medicine ball. "...damn it." Emilia cursed her body's natural reaction, which now consist of a fluttering stomach to inform her of an emotion she didn't even know how to explain.

At that moment, Bodie sat up fully, exhaling a loud breath while his eyes instantly meet his dance partner's.

Emilia looked away swiftly, cranking up her treadmill another speed to distract any thoughts running through her mind.

The source of her distraction soon joined alongside her, starting up his treadmill he hopped on, instantly starting a steady jog as a warm-up.

& she could feel it. Her neck burned fire hot. Emi knew when she was being stared at. & so she looked up from the stats on her machine, a firm frown on her face as she met Bodie's eyes this time for more than the mere seconds they shared before.

The brunette could feel her blood begin to boil. Here they were, supposed to be engaged in this awkward interaction, & Bodie was giving her the silliest smile she could simply not ignore.

It wasn't a coy smile, or a knowing smile, or even an arrogant smile—it was Bodie's usual friendly grin, & it made Emilia so annoyed that he could be so..._normal_ this morning.

It was this moment that made her realize that she was overreacting. Surely, last night's events were far from normal, but Bodie took the hint. & essentially, things were unchanged in his mind. If she didn't want to talk about it, he would never force her.

"What's up?" His voice was playful, eyebrows perked as he finally got some interaction out of Emi.

"Nothing's _up_," Emilia replied between huffs, trying not to give him the satisfaction of even a small smile.

"Something's up," he teased, cranking up the speed on his own treadmill so his stride could fall alongside hers.

"We're up. Aren't we? For practice. That's 'what's up'." Emi stopped her treadmill, jumping off abruptly. Pausing momentarily for a drink of water from her bottle, she spoke again. "So let's started. The sooner we finish is the soonest I can go back to bed."

"Alright, Em." Bodie stopped his treadmill though he'd just started, complying with her wishes to get their practice session over as quickly as possible. They joined each other in a common spot in the gym where they usually liked to practice dance steps.

The rehearsal itself was uneventful, & Emilia even shed her hoodie about halfway through. She managed to break a smile or two at Bodie's tendencies to fool around. Emi even found herself regretting that it was time to leave, though she also felt somewhat relieved to have some time to herself.

"So...tomorrow morning?" he asked. Bodie was sprawled across the hardwood floor belly-down, head tilted just enough to be able to look up at Emilia.

Emi was cross-legged, not far from where Bodie lay, her chest heaving still from the drills they'd just completed. Wiping her brow, she wasn't sure how to answer him. Usually they would hang out with each other the rest of the day if neither of them needed to work. His question was phrased as if he didn't expect to see her at all until their next practice.

But she did say that she needed her rest...she was anxious to be alone now, wasn't she?

"I guess," Emilia finally answered, her fingers picking at the fabric of her sweatpants.

"Same time."

"Same place," she finished, giving him a small smile.

Bodie hopped up, giving her a playful tap on her arm before he stood, grabbing his gym bag from the side of one of the walls.

"B, wait-" Emilia spin around, though she still sat on the floor, to face him. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"What are you sorry for?" The part-time lifeguard grinned at the irony of a conversation that so familiarly happened just the day before.

"I'm being serious." She rubbed her arm, looking at her legs, the floor—anything to avoid meeting his eyes. "I probably shouldn't have slammed the door in your face."

"It probably won't be the last time I'll get a door shut in my face," Bodie replied with a lighthearted chuckle. "No big deal, Em."

"It is a big deal. Why are you always so..." Emilia stood up, straightening out her pants, trying to find the right adjective to describe her friend's nature. "Why are you always so nice?"

"I'm not exactly sure what you mean, but I'll take it as a compliment," he replied, flashing her a grin. Emilia couldn't help but smile along with him.

"You can never fully accept my apologies, can you?" she inquired with a smirk.

"Nah, but I may be able to if we can go get some ice cream," he suggested casually.

Emilia could never resist him, as hard as she tried to. She could also never resist an offer for ice cream, which was becoming much of a ritual for the two. "Fine," she relented. "But after this I'm definitely going back to sleep."

"Sure, sure."

* * *

:O Another chapter, completed! I do hope that you enjoyed it. It is shorter than the last, which bites, but I didn't want to squeeze so much into one chapter, you know? & I'm lazy. Definitely lazy. Don't forget to tell me what you think! C: They do encourage me to write, that's for sure. Side note—I finally bought "Give Me Everything" & omg. I love that dance routine—it's probably my favorite now, aside from Massive Attack. Has anyone gotten Down On Me yet? I love that song, I just might cop it next. Okay, I'm rambling as usual & I needs some sleep! :D Until next time!~


End file.
